Rose's Story
by micbb
Summary: Eventual reunion fic. Will depict existing story lines from Rose's point of view (mostly). Rose could never have known that the best thing that had ever happened to her would be the thing that would cause her unimaginable pain, and would be what would make her stronger than ever as she forced her way through the dimension keeping her apart from her Doctor.
1. Chapter 1: 9th Doctor

**Hey guys! This is not my first story on fanfic, but it is on this account (I shudder at the thought of my childhood tastes). This story came to me last night – I'd really love to hear what you think. Send me comments, suggestions, likes, dislikes. No hate please, but advice and suggestions for sure. I will update as quickly as I can, but school keeps me pretty busy. **

**This story will include several direct quotes from Doctor Who, but I own nothing. **

She was absolutely insane. It was the only explanation for what she'd just done – run off with a strange man in a strange box that was strangely bigger on the inside. Now Rose was sitting in some sort of observation deck, watching the sun inch closer and closer to the earth.

Her home, she mused, pursing her lips together. Her home was about to be consumed by the sun that had provided warmth and comfort during her lifetime. This brought her to a new train of thought – what was her lifetime? She was 5 billion years in the future…was this still her lifetime? The Doctor, the man she'd known for both a single day and 5 billion years, had brought her here and she'd jumped on his spaceship or phone box or whatever he wanted to call it and followed him to the end of her own planet. Who was he, even? He was at least twice her age, by the look of him, he was an alien…and what was she? Human. Boring old human. Why had he even brought her? What made her special?

Now she was on a space station with people who were having a party just to watch her home burn. She sighed.

* * *

><p>She'd almost been burned alive. The thought made her hair stand on end. She'd almost been burned alive 5 billion years into her future. Not even on earth – on a satellite. She could barely make sense of it – she'd talked to her mum on her mobile, told her she was on top of the world, and then almost been burned alive.<p>

And she'd seen _the last human_, Cassandra, flattened out paper-thin. She'd watched Cassandra be torn apart, and seen the disgust on the Doctor's face when he looked at her after learning what she'd done.

And now she sat face to face with The Doctor, sitting in an old chippy not far from the estate, eating the vinegar-covered chips from the newspaper basket that sat on the table between her and The Doctor. She thought of the look on his face as he talked about his people and his planet. The only Time Lord in the whole world. She thought of his face when she'd simply said, "there's me," and the smile and chuckle when she'd declared she wanted chips. She looked at his face now, at the slightly puzzled expression written across his features and he looked back at her. He winced as he took a bite of a chip – she did tend to douse her chips in vinegar – but polished it off all the same.

"Why me, then?" she asked suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. His eyes met hers, his expression serious and direct.

"What?" it didn't even sound like a question when he said it. Her face burned and she almost felt it turn bright red at his stare. His eyebrows were pulled out in a not-quite frown, and even with some of his more…noticeable features, like his ears that stuck out and his roman nose, he looked intimidating.

"Why me?" Rose asked again, refusing to look away. She dusted her hands off on a napkin and folded her arms on the table. "You could'a taken anyone with you. Why me?"

He didn't look away and it took him a few seconds to speak. The pregnant pause cause Rose to tense up as she waited for his answer. "I like you, Rose Tyler," he said simply, as though that fully explained everything.

In all honesty, she already trusted him at this point. There was no going back. When they made their way back to the TARDIS (would she ever get used to it?), she clasped his hand in hers. He squeezed it once and held it at his side until they were in his time machine.

* * *

><p>Mauve is a ridiculous colour for danger, she thought. She almost wished she were wearing a mauve shirt, rather than the union jack that was plastered on her chest. Her hands were burning, but she gripped the rope as tightly as she could because letting go was certainly not an option.<p>

She was hanging from a _barrage balloon_ in the middle of an _air raid_. Her heart raced faster than she'd ever felt it and she struggled to get any sort of grip with her shoes, desperate for any other support. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hang onto the rope.

How long had she been hanging? Minutes? Hours? It felt like forever, and it was certainly much too long, considering everything. Where was The Doctor? Her breathing quickened as she clung desperately.

She certainly didn't notice when she caught the attention of a Captain, who watched her attentively from a window.

She did notice when she was enveloped in a sort of force field and heard a voice that sounded as though it were coming through a speaker.

And then she was moving – with very little warning, she might have added – sliding down the light or force field or whatever it was. She spoke briefly to the attractive man whose voice she'd heard before everything went black.

* * *

><p>His name was Captain Jack Harkness. And he had psychic paper. He certainly didn't belong in the middle of World War Two. He'd called her a time agent…what was a time agent? She tried not to let her confusion show and simply nodded.<p>

Was she honestly drinking champagne on top of an invisible space ship, tethered to Big Ben, in the middle of an air raid? Would she ever consider this kind of thing to be normal? She doubted it. She was certainly in attractive company – dancing with Captain Jack.

What was a Chula warship?

* * *

><p>Thank God she'd found The Doctor, and that he'd played along with her "time agent" charade. Unfortunately, Jack was a conman, and human DNA was being rewritten.<p>

One hell of a situation.

* * *

><p>Everybody lived. <em>Everybody lived!<em> She wouldn't soon forget the look on The Doctor's face as he shouted triumphantly. It was quite possibly the largest smile she'd ever seen on anyone's face. Even before, the hope she'd seen in him was breathtaking. He wanted so badly for everyone to live…it was hard to keep her eyes off of him, and his joy was infectious. The cockiness in his voice when he'd said, "you want the moves, Rose? I'll show you the moves," had widened her smile even further.

She barely noticed when Jack joined them on the TARDIS. Her attention was locked on The Doctor as they awkwardly moved around the console room. Of course, when Rose had invited Jack to dance, The Doctor had suddenly remembered _his moves_ and the two of them pranced around the console, eyes locked on each other and wide smiles on their faces. She was certain that _In the Mood _had just become her new favourite song.

* * *

><p>She was on a Dalek ship. They were supposed to go extinct! Did The Doctor know where she was? Did she think she was dead, killed by the disintegration beam?<p>

She stood as far as she could from the Dalek that advanced towards her quickly, backing away so that she collided with the wall. They continued to move through the arches, increasing in numbers. She watched numbly as they opened a communication with the satellite. She stared at him, eyes wide, as he refused to communicate with her captors.

Relief flooded through he when proclaimed that he would rescue her, and she would not lose hope in her Doctor, even when all she could hear was loud, robotic cries of EXTER-MINATE from every Dalek. There were too many of them, she thought. They were supposed to be dead, long gone. And yet here they were, demanding that she predict what The Doctor would do.

When the TARDIS materialized around her, her eyes immediately found The Doctor. When he wrapped his arms around her, and she him, she never wanted to let go. She kept quiet as Jack and The Doctor bantered around field, and her eyes stayed locked on The Doctor when he talked to the Daleks and the Dalek emperor, which was easily the largest suit of army she'd ever seen for such a small creature. She tried to keep her face still and remain impassive, but she was struggling. Her eyes were wide with fear. But when the emperor started to talk about the human race, she felt her face twitch in disgust.

The Daleks were insane, driven to that point by their own flesh and existence.

When they'd retreated back into the safety of the TARDIS, Rose's heart went out to her Doctor. He leaned his forehead against the doors and remained there, unmoving, for too long. She couldn't begin to imagine what he was thinking as the cries of the Daleks echoed through the console room.

* * *

><p>She hit the doors of the TARDIS roughly, pounding the door as hard as she could, trying to get them to open. Anger and betrayal burned in her core as the TARDIS took off, dematerializing from the Game Station. She yelled his name, crying for him to open the door. She continued to try to free herself until the Doctor's voice came from behind her.<p>

"This is emergency program one." Rose whirled around at the sound of his voice and found a transparent image of her Doctor talking directly to her. "Rose, now listen. This is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing. We must be in danger, and I mean fatal. I'm dead, or about to die, any second, with no chance of escape."

"No." the word tumbled from her mouth and she quickly moved closer to the hologram, inspecting it from every angle.

"…And that's okay, hope it's a good death," The Doctor continued, his eyes still facing the door. "But I promised to look after you, and that's what I'm doing. The TARDIS is taking you home."

Rose's mouth fell open in shock, horrified at this statement. "I won't let you," she said, quickly, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.

"And I bet you're fussing and moaning now. Typical." He was still sternly facing the door. "But hold on, and just listen a bit more." He wasn't looking at Rose. She was beside him now, near the edges of the console. Her eyes were locked on his image and she began to shake. "The TARDIS can never return to me. Emergency program one means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do: let the TARDIS die." Rose had manage to school her features, but this statement sent a wave of shock through her. "Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it, no one will even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner, and over the years the world will move on, and the box will be buried. And if you want to remember me, you can do one thing. That's all. One thing." Until this point The Doctor had continued to stare directly at the doors, but at this statement, he turned his head to her, his holographic eyes boring into hers and the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life."

And with that he was gone.

"You can't do this to me." Rose breathed. "You can't!" she moved to the console room and started moving every switch and pressing every button she could see in an attempt to steer the TARDIS herself. "Take me back!" She cried desperately, "_Take me back!"_

Her attempts were in vain, and soon she found herself sitting in a small diner with her mum and Mickey. Her mind was far away. She tried to explain to them that she needed to get back to The Doctor. She couldn't get through to them. She cried out her explanations in a desperate flurry of words. They hadn't seen what she'd seen. They couldn't know.

* * *

><p>Sitting in a cement park, the words chalked into the pavement finally jumped out at her. Suddenly they were everywhere.<p>

BAD WOLF

* * *

><p>They had probably ruined the tires on Mickey's car, trying to open the console to access the heart of the TARDIS. It took a recovery truck and much too long to finally open the console.<p>

When it finally opened, light flooded through the TARDIS and filled the room. Rose's eyes were locked on the source of that light – the heart of the TARDIS. She didn't notice when the doors slammed shut, locking out her mother and Mickey. She didn't notice when the TARDIS took off without further direction. Once the heart of the TARDIS was opened, Rose Tyler was no longer Rose Tyler. Light travelled in two steady streams, directly into her eyes, filling her mind with the time vortex.

She didn't see her Doctor's eyes snap open at the sound of the TARDIS's motor, nor did she see the terror on his face when the TARDIS materialized, and she didn't see The Doctor stumble backwards and fall back so that he was sitting on the ground. When the doors opened on their own, and Rose Tyler stood in the doorway, she did not see that the console room was now entirely filled with bright yellow light. Strands of light exited the TARDIS and Rose seemed to disappear from the doorway and suddenly be right in front of the Doctor. Hey eyes shone bright yellow and the light seemed to follow her as she moved.

"What have you done?" The Doctor's cry did not go unheard. Rose's eyes locked on him.

"I looked into the TARDIS." Her voice was soft, as were her features as she gazed at him, "and the TARDIS looked into me."

"You looked into the time vortex, Rose, no one's meant to see that." He explained desperately. Her face remained the same, her eyes remained on him.

"This is the _abomination," _the emperor's voice resonated through the 500th floor of the satellite. A Dalek fired at Rose.

Her eyes snapped up immediately and her hand shot out. The beam seemed to bounce off Rose's hand and return to the Dalek. The Doctor's confusion was evident on his face as he followed the shot.

"I am the Bad Wolf." Rose's voice was still unbearably soft, and she looked back at The Doctor, who had returned his gaze to her. His eyebrows were knit together as he stared at her, his eyes wide with incomprehension. "I create myself," she continued seamlessly, "I take the words. I scatter them in time and space." The letters high above them that read _Bad Wolf Corporation_ were suddenly freed from the wall and were sent away by Rose's hand. "A message to lead myself here."

"Rose," The Doctor begged, "you've got to stop. You've got to stop this _now_." Rose was no longer looking at him. She faced straight ahead, seemingly not hearing his pleas, and the yellow light in her eyes continued to dance. "You've got the entire vortex running through your head. _You're gunna burn_." He implored of her to understand, to stop, to save herself.

At this, Rose looked down at him and the glow disappeared from her eyes. She met his gaze. "I want you safe." This statement caused The Doctor's expression to change from fear to surprise as he continued to watch her face. "My Doctor." There was absolute truth in this. He was _hers_ he continued to watch her with wide blue eyes, desperation clearly written on his face. "Protected from the false god."

"You cannot hurt me," the emperor interrupted. "I am immortal."

Rose raised her hazel eyes to him. "You are tiny." There had been a double intonation in her voice from the moment she had stepped out of the TARDIS, but now it became even more pronounced as she spoke with more force. "I see the whole of time and space, every single atom of your existence, and I divide them." At this, Rose's eyes once again shined with yellow light and her hand shot up. With this, each Dalek began to dissolve, from end to center, scattered into atoms. "Everything must come to dust. All things." Tears left traces down Rose's cheeks, but she continued. "Everything dies." Both arms raised and The Doctor followed Rose's gaze to each Dalek as they began to disappear into yellow light. "The Time War ends."

The emperor resisted, crying out, as Rose turned her gaze on him. He too, was gone, as was every Dalek.

"Rose, you've done it. Now stop." The Doctor said sternly as he watched his Rose, her arms extended, breathing heavily. "Just let go."

Rose's voice was soft when she answered, "How can I let go of this?" With the time vortex swirling in her eyes, she continued, "I bring life."

"This is wrong!" The Doctor was desperate once again. "You can't control life and death!"

"But I can," Rose interrupted, the glow leaving her eyes as she turned her gaze on her Doctor. He looked up at her in fear. "The sun and the moon, the day and night. But why do they hurt?" Her voice was getting weaker.

"The power's gunna kill you and it's my fault." The Doctor replied, averting his gaze.

"I can see everything," Rose continued, her eyes still on The Doctor. This brought The Doctor's eyes back to her face in shock. "All that is. All that was. All that ever could be."

The Doctor stood so that he was looking down at his Rose. "That's what I see. All the time. Doesn't it drive you mad?" His eyes searched hers for an answer.

Her eyes were filled with tears as the time vortex continued to dance within her. "My head," her voice was so weak.

"Come here," The Doctor took her hands in his.

"…Is killing me." Rose finished. Her face was twisted in fear and pain.

"I think you need a doctor," The Doctor pulled her to him, locking his eyes with hers as he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers, pulling the time vortex out of her.

Rose was lying on the floor of the TARDIS when she woke up. The Doctor was leaning casually over the console. He made a ridiculous joke about singing the Daleks away. She listened as he rambled about Barcelona and made no sense as he talked about a process that he did not explain. Fear shot through her when he seemed to explode with golden light. He told her that his body was changing, that he would change.

"Before I go, I just want to tell you that you were fantastic." He told her. She stared him down. "Absolutely fantastic. And you know what?" She shook her head ever so slightly, not unlocking their eyes for a second. "So was I." He finished.

And then he exploded with golden light.

**Review!**


	2. Chapter 2: 10th Doctor

**Here's chapter 2, dears! This is ten pages long. This is season 2, so from here on in the story will mostly be original content, with the exception of Rose's reappearance later on. This chapter includes many direct quotes from Doctor who, but I own nothing. **

The man lying in the bed in front of her was not The Doctor, not to Rose. He was much too skinny, too young. He was dwarfed by her Doctor's leather jacket, which had suited him so well. And his hair…

She listened to the heart on left side of his chest first, and then, with only the slightest of hesitations, the one on his right. Both working. Satisfied, she left him alone in the room.

* * *

><p>Harriet Jones, Prime Minister?<p>

"Now that's where you're wrong. I completely disagree, if you don't mind." Harriet's response to a journalist questioning the usefulness of the Guinevere One space program was very…Harriet Jones. There was no other way to put it. Rose's lips stretched into a wide grin as she watched the one-time journalist speaking at a press conference. Harriet was brilliant, she knew.

* * *

><p>"Doctor, wake up!" Rose pleaded desperately as her mum and Mickey tried to barricade the door to the bedroom. The tree was playing obnoxiously loud Christmas music as it spun outrageously quickly and advanced on them. Rose moved to where her Doctor's leather jacket was hanging and she reached into his pockets, during furiously for his screwdriver. Would he leave her now? The proper Doctor would never leave her in danger of anything while he slept, let alone a <em>Christmas tree.<em>

Once it was found, she put it in The Doctor's palm and wrapped his fingers around it. She was thrown back when the Christmas tree burst through the door, leaving branch marks in the wall.

"I'm gunna get killed by a Christmas tree!" Jackie squeaked, pressing herself against the back wall and looking away from the ridiculous, yet terrifying, scene unfolding in front of her.

Rose moved back to The much too skinny Doctor and leaned in close to his ear. "Help me," she murmured desperately.

* * *

><p>"I, um…I address the Sycorax," She started, her voice wavering as she tried to sound sure of herself. She was on the Sycorax space ship, The Doctor asleep in the TARDIS, trying to save her planet. "According to article fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation." She stumbled over the unfamiliar words. The Sycorax were silent, and though she could not see their faces, she knew all eyes were on her. "I command you to leave this world, with all the authority of…" She thought desperately of any name that might help her, her face strained with fear, "…the Slitheen parliament of Raxacoricofalapatorious…and…um…the Gelth Confederacy…" the leader advanced, causing her to shake and the wavering of her voice to increase still. "…As...uh…sanctioned by the mighty Jagrafess…and...OH! The Daleks! Now leave this planet in peace!" She was shouting now.<p>

* * *

><p>"Now, <em>you<em> just wait. I'm _busy_." The Doctor said sternly, addressing the Sycorax leader. He turned and walked back over to Rose and Mickey. "Mickey! Hello!" He said cheerfully.

"First things first," he looked seriously at Rose. "Be honest. How do I look?" his large brown eyes bored into hers and his face was deathly serious.

"Um…" Rose examined his unfamiliar face. "Different."

"Good different, or bad different?" He asked, still much too serious. Was he vain? She couldn't remember him ever being vain. His expression hadn't changed, and he hadn't even blinked.

"Just…different." She replied quickly. Was he really doing this now? Was he really asking her how he looked while hundreds of Sycorax watched them?

"Am I," He started. If possible, his face grew even more serious when he paused, "ginger?"

Rude and not ginger.

* * *

><p>She'd never had doubts about The Doctor. Well, maybe that was a lie, but since he'd changed his face he'd proved to her time and time again that he was still <em>her Doctor<em>. He held her hand and smiled that huge, almost manic grin and convinced her that he hadn't changed, except for his looks. And his really, _really_ great hair.

And he'd caught to her with _Sarah Jane_ at his side, and introduced her to _Sarah Jane_ and _Sarah Jane _had called her The Doctor's _assistant_. Maybe _Sarah Jane _had been The Doctor's _assistant_ but Rose was not. Then he'd sat with _Sarah Jane _at that stupid diner with that stupid _tin dog_.

_Sarah Jane _couldn't even work the sonic.

But they'd both experienced such amazing things…and it was Rose who broke the silence. "…with you, did he do that thing where he'd explain something at like, ninety miles an hour, and you'd go 'what?' and he'd look at you like you'd just dribbled on your shirt?"

That was all it took. The two of them were giggling like a pair of children when The Doctor arrived.

* * *

><p>She stood, staring at what had been a time window into 18th century France. He'd taken that damn horse and gone to save Madame the Pompadour. He'd left his traveling companion, behind when he <em>knew <em>there was no way of him getting back to her, and no way of her getting home without him. He'd just…gone.

She couldn't move or look away from the wall. She stood in horrified silence, barely noticing when Mickey asked her what had happened to the time window.

He'd left her.

It was five and a half hours before she saw him again.

* * *

><p>Did graphite seriously just attack her? A pencil scribble had just attacked her.<p>

* * *

><p>The Isolus had taken The Doctor, and now she was taking not only the entire Olympic stadium, but the whole world. Eighty thousand wasn't enough – she needed four billion brothers and sisters. Rose broke the door with the stolen axe and tried to get Chloe to stop.<p>

"It needs more than heat, Doctor," Rose murmured quietly, looking desperately at the drawing of her Doctor.

The flame.

* * *

><p>The pod started to sing as she got closer to the Olympic flame. Rose, unable to get close to the runner, threw the pod high in the air and cheered wildly when the pod took off. Had she done it? The pod certainly seemed to be working. Had she saved the planet from the lonely alien?<p>

With the Isolus gone, one by one the stolen children reappeared where they'd been taken. But not The Doctor. Where was he? She searched desperately.

* * *

><p>He had the flame! The Doctor was carrying the flame to the stadium! How had he gotten there? Rose watched with Chloe, her mother, and the road worker.<p>

* * *

><p>"Cake?" Rose asked, making The Doctor whirl. He saw her and smiled widely, starting with a chuckle and ending with full throw-back-his-head laughter.<p>

"Top banana!" he said cheerfully, taking the cake from Rose. She smiled back at him, her body flooded with relief as soon as she'd seen him. After his silly comment about edible ball bearings, Rose wrapped him in the tightest hug she possibly could. She thought she'd lost him. She couldn't keep her eyes off his face, nor the smile off her lips.

"This is a night for lost things being found," he told her at a smile. He grabbed her hand.

* * *

><p>"Mum, it's us!" Rose called as she entered her mother's flat. The Doctor tried to slip by Jackie, but she tackled him with a hug and kissed his face. Rose gave Jackie her knapsack and showed her the bazulim. When Jackie jumped immediately in with news, her eyes alight with excitement. Rose's blood ran cold when Jackie exclaimed that her father – Rose's grandpa – was coming to visit.<p>

"She's gone mad," She said, eyes wide, as she watched her mum retreat into the kitchen.

"Tell me something new," The Doctor said pleasantly, joining Rose's side.

"Granddad Prentice – that's her dad." Rose explained, glancing quickly at The Doctor before looking back to where her mum has gone. The Doctor's eyes examined Rose's face. "But he's been dead for like…ten years." Rose finished. The Doctor's eyes widened and he quickly looked up in the same direction as Rose. "Oh my God. She's gone mad." Rose muttered. Following her mum into the kitchen.

Ghosts. Ghosts in London. Ghosts all over the world.

* * *

><p>When The Doctor took Jackie out of the TARDIS, pretending she was Rose, to follow the Torchwood lot, Rose stayed inside the TARDIS. She watched them leave and waited for her chance. She grabbed the psychic paper from The Doctor's trench coat pocket and exited the TARDIS, as slowly and quietly as she could. Her heart raced as she avoided being seen, and quickly grabbed a lab coat lying on a table and confidently strutted through doors, doing her best to act like she belonged. She jogged to keep up with the man in front of her, and ended up in a barricaded room with a huge gold sphere in it. The man spotted her and began to question her. She tried to use the psychic paper, but he saw through it.<p>

The man asked 'Samuel' to check the door locks. He turned.

Mickey.

He gave her two thumbs up as he moved to the door.

* * *

><p>The sphere was shaking, affecting the whole deadlocked room. Rose watched in horror as the leader called desperately for help and Mickey shed his lab coat. Slowly, the sphere started to open before Rose's eyes. She tried to keep her breathing steady. Mickey grabbed his ridiculously oversized gun and pointed it at the sphere.<p>

"Oh my God," Rose gasped. She felt as though a current of ice had just passed through her bloodstream. Four Daleks floated out of the Sphere.

"LO-CA-TION EAR-TH." Declared one, "LIFE FORMS DE-TECT-ED. EXTER-MINATE," It continued. The other joined it its fear-wrenching cry.

When they didn't quiet, Rose took it on herself to make them stop. "DALEKS." She yelled loudly, "You're called Daleks." When she got no response, she deliberately advanced on the closest Dalek. "I know your name," she told it. She threw off her lab coat. She hoped she could stall the Daleks, maybe stop them from killing her, Mickey and the scientist, or at least give The Doctor time to find them. "Think about it, how can I know that? A human who knows about the Daleks. And the Time War." She paused and earned no response. "If you wanna know how, keep us alive. That's all I'm asking. Me and my friends."

What was a genesis arc? What did the Dalek mean, 'it was hibernating'?

* * *

><p>"WHICH OF YOU IS LEAST IMPOR-TANT?" The black Dalek demanded, advancing on the three.<p>

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rose blurted out. The Dalek repeated the question with more force. "No, we don't work like that," Rose said, disgust evident on her face. "None of us." She would not give the Daleks anything or anyone. They were going to live through this, she through stubbornly.

"DESIG-NATE THE LEAST IMPOR-TANT."

Rose was forced to watch the scientist have the information about earth history have his brain waved extracted. She hid her face in Mickey's chest as the man was killed.

* * *

><p>The Daleks opened communication through a single Dalek travelling to the upper floors. Rose watched with wide, frightened eyes, following the Dalek's movements. Before now, Rose didn't think she could be any more afraid. Nothing was worse than Dalek.<p>

Until it came face to face (figuratively) with the only thing that could scare her as much as the Daleks.

"I-DENT-IFY YOUR-SELF." The Dalek cried.

"You will identify first." The Cyberman responded. They continued to argue. A joke on Mickey's part pulled Rose's lips into a slight smile, but she continued to watch the screen in front of them soberly, trying not to let too much of her fear show.

"DA-LEKS DO NOT TAKE OR-DERS." The Dalek finally shouted (which she was pretty sure was the same as a Dalek talking quietly). The Daleks identified the Cyberman on their own, without the Cybermen stating their names.

Ringing in her pocket made Rose jump. She looked down quickly and saw "mum" on the caller ID. She answered, keeping the phone at her side. She could hear the slightest mumbling coming from the phone, but couldn't identify the words. Was it The Doctor? Was he alright? Was her mum alright? If The Doctor was alive, did he know what a genesis arc was?

"DA-LEKS HAVE NO CON-CEPT OF ELE-GANCE." The Dalek was still arguing with the Cyberman.

"This is obvious." Was that a burn? Did a Cyberman seriously just burn the Daleks? It continued to propose an alliance. Rose's heart seemed to stop in her chest. They couldn't.

"RE-QUEST DE-NIED." The Dalek responded. The Cybermen tried to shoot the Dalek and failed – the Dalek's armor was impenetrable, even to the Cybermen. The Dalek shot both in turn, and they fell.

The Cybermen opened a communication with the lower level, where three Daleks and two humans remained. "Daleks be warned. You have declared war on the Cybermen." The leader said. Rose and Mickey continued to watch quietly, unable to do anything or say anything.

"THIS IS NOT WAR. THIS IS PEST CON-TROL."

"We have five million Cybermen," the number given by the Cyberman was astonishing. What more fear was left? Rose thought helplessly. "How many are you?"

"FOUR."

Rose was shaking. "You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?" If a robot could be incredulous, this Cyberman certainly was.

"WE WOULD DES-TROY THE CYBER-MEN WITH ONE DA-LEK. YOU ARE SUP-ERIOR IN ONLY ONE ASPECT."

"What is that?"

"YOU ARE BET-TER AT DY-ING."

* * *

><p>The Daleks whirled on Rose when the Doctor was spotted, demanding his identification. At her identifying him as The Doctor, the Daleks backed up. When they forced her to place her hand on the genesis arc, she advanced, hoping to protect Mickey from the Dalek threat. She paused. "If you…ehm… escaped the Time War, don't you wanna know what happened?" The Dalek tried to interrupt, but Rose continued, "What happened to the Emperor?"<p>

"THE EMP-EROR SUR-VIVED?" Now even the Dalek sounded incredulous. Rose was glad to have found a distraction, even if she could only stall the Daleks for a few minutes.

"Till he met me." Rose told him boldly. "Cause if these are gunna be my last words, then you're gunna listen." Only silence from the Dalek. "I met the emperor. And I took the Time Vortex and pulled into his head and turned him into dust. D'you get that? The god of all Daleks," she smirked. If there was nothing she could do about dying now, she may as well be cocky. "And I destroyed him." She finished with a laugh.

"YOU WILL BE EXTER-MINATED." The Dalek seemed to should furiously. Rose could not have been gladder to see The Doctor stroll in, wearing…3D glasses? Even so, a large smile grew on Rose's face.

* * *

><p>What the hell did he want giant weights for?<p>

Rose, Pete and The Doctor watched, all equally as confused as the next, the Daleks elevate the genesis arc out of Torchwood Tower, accompanied by the black Dalek. When the arc opened, the worst thing that could possibly have happened _happened_.

"Time Lord science," The Doctor said. Rose turned her head to look at him, and was almost taken aback by the horror on his face. "It's bigger on the inside." When The Doctor explained that the prison ship held millions of Daleks, Rose's mouth popped open in horror. His face thinly masked his heart-wrenching grief and anger as the Daleks exited the genesis arc at an impossible pace.

Millions of Cybermen and millions of Daleks.

* * *

><p>The clamps were pressed against the wall and ready. Rose and the Doctor pulled the levers, opening the void, and ran back to their clamps, hanging on for dear life. Rose struggled to catch her breath, watching as Dalek after Cyberman after Dalek was sucked into the void.<p>

"THE BRIDGE IS OPEN! INTO THE VOID! HA!" The Doctor shouted above the noise of wind and shouting Daleks and Cybermen. Smiles grew on The Doctor and Rose's faces. They were doing it – stopping the Daleks and the Cybermen from destroying earth.

But that's where things started going wrong.

Rose's handle unlocked, turned offline and stopped the flow of Cybermen and Daleks. Determined, Rose ignored The Doctor's yell, telling her to hold on, and reached for the lever. She'd completely let go of her clamp and managed to lock the lever back into place. She desperately held on to the lever but felt her grip weakening by the second. She glanced over to The Doctor's terrified face. He tried to reach out to her.

Her fingers gave. All she could hear was The Doctor shouting her name, screaming as she was sucked toward the void. She screamed – this wasn't how it was supposed to end. She'd promised The Doctor forever. This couldn't be it.

She felt arms wrap around her had only a second to glance at her Doctor's horrified face before Pete activated the dimension cannon and she was gone.

The Doctor was terrified and horrified and sad beyond relief. Had they made it to Pete's world? Was she safe? She was no longer with him, now in an unreachable dimension, and he was so very alone. He felt it to his core, the aloneness that seemed to freeze and set flame to his senses all at once.

In the other dimension, Rose pounded furiously at the wall that seemed to separate her from her Doctor. "Take me back!" tears were flowing and she felt her face contort in pain and fear. "Take me back!" Sobs were flowing freely now. She barely noticed when Pete pointed out that the bridge was closed, sobbing against the wall. For a moment, she tought she could feel the Doctor on the other side. Was he alright? Was he safe? He was no longer with him, in an unreachable dimension. Too soon, she felt his presence disappear.

She turned to see Pete, Jackie and Mickey looking at her with sober expressions.

* * *

><p><em>Rose<em>

_Rose_

She was dreaming of his voice, calling her. Was she imagining things? Had she finally gone insane from the lack of his presence? She told her mother, Pete and Mickey, and they listened without judgment and believed her. They packed up that night and followed the voice in Pete's jeep, following the instructions she'd heard. They drove for what seemed like forever.

When she arrived on the Beach in Norway, she looked desperately for any sign of him, pacing the beach while Pete, Jackie and Mickey stayed by the jeep.

And suddenly there he was.

A hollow, transparent image of her Doctor.

"Where are you?" Had he crossed dimensions? He couldn't have. They were closed, and even if he had he wouldn't be a stupid hologram on a stupid beach in _Norway_.

"In the TARDIS," he replied, and Rose's heart swelled as she thought of the beloved ship. "There's one tiny little gap in the universe left," The Doctor continued, "just about to close. It takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a supernova. Burning up a sun, just to say goodbye." The sad smile on his face was killing her. She started to feel tears burn behind her eyes.

"You look like a ghost," she told him sadly, fearful of getting any closer to him, fearful he would disappear any second. He did something and appeared as though he were really there, on the beach with her. She advanced and tentatively reached out. "Can I…" she didn't need to finish the sentence.

He shook his head, "I'm still just an image. No touch."

"Can't you come through properly?" She asked in a small, wavering voice. She already knew the answer. At his answer that two universes would collapse, she responded with "So?" bringing the sad smile back to his face and the tears back to her eyes.

"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" He asked suddenly, his eyes darting around the beach.

"We're in Norway."

"Norway, right."

"About fifty miles out of Bergen," she continued, fighting the tears that she knew would fall any second. "It's called Darlig Ulv Stranden."

"Dalek?"

"Dar_lig,"_ she repeated. "It's Norwegian for Bad." The Doctor stared, confused. "This translates as Bad Wolf Bay," she said, rolling her eyes as she felt the ghost of a smile on her lips. She looked at the smiled on her Doctor's face. The last time she'd see him. Her smile was gone much quicker than it had appeared, and her face became twisted in agony. "How long have you got?"

The smile disappeared off of his face. "About to minutes," he told her gently.

She fought tears and grinned sadly. "I can't think of what to say." What could she say? How was she supposed to say goodbye to her Doctor, the man who'd taken her to the end of the world and back? A small chuckle escaped him and he looked at her with a sad smile.

"You've still got Mr. Mickey, then." He said, trying desperately not to sound bitter.

"There's five of us now," her voice sounded hoarse, but she couldn't bring herself to care. "Mum, Dad, Mickey, and the baby."

Awe mixed with sadness on his face, "You're not…"

She paused for a second. Finally she let out a small laugh and smile. "No. It's mum. She'd three months gone. More Tylers on the way." The doctor's eyes lifted to Jackie briefly, but he wouldn't spend his last second with his Rose looking at her mother.

"What about you? Are you…?" what was she doing? Was she alright? He desperately needed for her to be alright, but he knew that either way, if she missed him too much to do anything, it would crush him, but if she was entirely ready to forget him, it would break his heart. There were no right answers anymore.

"Yeah, I'm back working in the shop." She told him, with a slight tinge of bitterness to her tone. She gauged his reaction.

"Good for you," he gave her a small smile.

"Shut up." She told him. "No I'm not. There's still a Torchwood on this planet. It's Open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens." She tried to sound sure of herself.

"Rose Tyler," he said her name in the way he did, smiling. "Defender of the Earth." He looked into her eyes, so near to tears, and fought the urge to tear up himself. He changed the subject. "You're dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on the list of the dead." His statement cause sobs to break free from her and she covered her mouth, trying to stop them. "And here you are, living life, day after day. One adventure I can never have."

Tears flowed freely now and she gasped for breath. She felt as though her chest were being crushed by the weight of the universe. "Am I ever gunna see you again?" She asked through tears an sobs. She had troubled finishing the question and covered her eyes for a brief moment.

"You can't," more weight on her chest. She wondered if this were easy for him. He'd lost companions before…was she just another one gone? But she knew him, her Doctor, and she could see the agony on his face even as he tried to hide it.

"What are you gunna do?" she asked him, shaking her head. Would he forget her, find someone else and begin again? Would he be alright with her gone?

His eyes were starting to redden and she could tell he was fighting off tears. "Oh, I've got the TARDIS." He told her. "Same old life, last of the Time Lords." His smile was bitter and his eyes were red.

"On your own?" Rose asked, in a broken voice that certainly didn't sound like her. The question was barely intelligible. He nodded, unable to speak. It was hard for her to speak as well, through the tears and the sobs and gasps for breath. "I – " she needed to say it, needed him to know. "I love you." She said with as much conviction as she could while her breath caught in her throat.

He looked at her with the tiniest of smiles on his face. "Quite right, too." He said quietly. She nodded. "And I suppose…if it's my last chance to say it…Rose Tyler…" and he was gone.

She allowed herself to break down entirely, sobbing on the beach, her Doctor gone. She couldn't have known that in a different universe, a man in a police box that was orbiting the sun was caught in stunned silence, tears flowing freely. His unfinished sentence hung from his still open lips before he tried to gather himself, closing his eyes and mouth in mourning of what he had lost on a beach, in Norway, in another world. He stood unmoving for too long.

Rose turned to face her family, still standing on the beach. Jackie met her daughter's tear stricken eyes, the agony in her face, and the weakness in her body and ran to her. She wrapped Rose in her arms, knowing that there was nothing she could say to her daughter to make it any easier.

**Review :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Pete's World

**Here's chapter 3, dears! It's shorter than the others, and ****for that I apologize. **

Empty.

Her heart felt empty.

Actually, her heart felt as though it had been ripped from her chest, broken through her ribcage, and been shattered into a million pieces. But she didn't want to split hairs.

They'd left Norway after The Doctor had disappeared from the beach, though they'd needed to wait for Rose to gain back control of her body before they moved. They returned to Pete's mansion in London, and Rose had gone directly to her bedroom, oblivious to the nervous glances Pete, Jackie and Mickey were giving her and each other. She quietly closed her door and sat tentatively on the edge of her bed. The room was almost an exact copy of her room back in the other universe, down to the pink walls and fluffy pink comforter.

Tears were still streaming down her cheeks and she felt bile start to rise up into her throat. She dashed to the bathroom down the hall and voided her stomach, her face in the toilet as she threw up violently. The door opened and Rose didn't look up to see her mother, who grabbed a washcloth and was running it under the sink. She felt Jackie gently pull her hair away and place the cold cloth on the back of her neck. She passed Rose a different cloth, which Rose used first to wipe her face and then to wipe her mouth, and she threw it into the pantry. Her mother said nothing during the process. When Rose felt she could stand, she quickly brushed her teeth to get rid of the taste and led herself be guided back to her bedroom by her mother.

She didn't argue while Jackie helped her change into a pair of clean jimjams, or when Jackie tucked her into her bed as though she were five. She was grateful when her mum stayed for a few minutes, saying nothing and stroking her hair, but she didn't vocalize her thanks. When her eyes had been closed and her breathing evened out, Jackie took a last glance at Rose and slipped out of the room, moving her trashcan closer to the bed before she did so.

Rose's sleep was fitful, The Doctor's voice now completely gone. She had nightmares about Cybermen and Daleks and being completely alone in nothingness, calling for her Doctor but barely even hearing her own voice. She awoke to her own scream and her mother bursting into her room. Jackie sat next to her and wrapped her up in her arms, holding her daughter to her chest. Rose gripped her mum's arms tightly, tears falling freely from her eyes and sobs wracking through her body. She wasn't sure how long they stayed there, gaining comfort from each other so like she had done with The Doctor after their adventures.

Tears eventually dried and sobs became hiccups and sniffles. Her mum gently wiped her tears from her cheeks and pulled the blankets back over Rose, who was shaking violently.

* * *

><p>She had nightmares for weeks.<p>

And the pattern remained the same. Some nights she managed to avoid getting sick and it was only the nightmares that ruined her sleep. Her mother said nothing about the nightly disturbances but continued to come hold Rose after particularly bad dreams.

Torchwood was treating her well enough. She was in the Alien History and Research department of the institution, which seemed vastly different from Torchwood One in the other universe. She often cooperated with Alien Communications and Language to meet with extra-terrestrials, making a name for herself as one of the best liaisons and communicators available. Though her disposition had changed – Rose often wore a serious face and rarely smiled or laughed, Rose had not forgotten how to empathize with aliens and often made friends with those who ended up at Torchwood.

There were, of course, those who thought that Rose was only so well received because her father, Pete, was the director of Torchwood, but they were proven wrong as soon as they worked with her, quieted by her quick and efficient work ethic. Soon she'd earned her own office with her name written on the door and the desk and a view of London.

The nightmares had mostly passed when she began searching for her own apartment, unable to get used to the lavish mansion or being back with her overbearing mother. The throwing up seemed to be completely finished when she found an apartment she liked that was neither too far from Torchwood nor too far from her parents' place. The screaming in her sleep had stopped when she told Pete and Jackie that she was moving out. Her mother had protested, of course, but Pete had simply placed his hand on her shoulder and verified that she'd saved enough of her paycheck to pay for rent and food.

"Are you sure you want to go, sweetheart?" Her mother asked as they loaded the last of her things into Pete's jeep. Pete had graciously offered to buy her new furniture, and the three of them had been shopping for days, finding Rose a couch, chairs, a table, a bed, and anything she could need at her apartment. Her mother had also packed her lots of food and tea, which she was having trouble fitting into the trunk of the jeep.

Rose sighed. "Yes mum," she replied tiredly. They'd had this conversation many times. "'Sides, bit too late to change my mind now, even if I wanted to. I've already paid rent for this month and all the furniture's being delivered today." Any minute now, actually. They had to get going. She didn't let Jackie start again and quickly moved to the jeep's side, pulling the door open and sliding into the back seat. She Jackie huff through the rear view mirror and move to her own door, getting in and slamming the door shut behind her. Rose rolled her eyes at her mum's antics and stayed silent as Pete got into the driver's seat and started the jeep.

"All set?" He asked cheerfully, clearly not oblivious to the tense atmosphere but rather choosing to ignore it. Jackie huffed again and Pete winked at Rose through the rear view mirror, making her smile. They drove in silence to Rose's new flat, which was in a small apartment building. When they parked the car, the landlord, a quiet looking man who was balding and wearing a maroon jumper (that made Rose do a double take) with a collar from another shirt popping out around his neck and dark blue jeans.

When they all stepped out of the car, he walked over to Rose and handed her the keys, showing her which was to the building itself and which was to the apartment. He patted her shoulder with a smile.

"You'll enjoy it here, I think, Miss Tyler." He said cheerfully. "I'm not sticking around too long, just making sure everything is in order." He was an aging man, white hair, eyebrows and beard. His eyes were a bright blue and his smile was infectious. He was rather wide at the center.

"Thanks, Mr. Mott," Rose answered with a smile. She joined her mother and father in grabbing all her things from the jeep.

"Call me Wilf," Mr. Mott said, still quite cheerfully. He even grabbed one of her boxes and carried it up the stairs (there was no lift, for which he apologized. Repeatedly) and chatted on the way up, telling her about the different tenants as the passed their doors.

Eventually they reached flat 9, on the third floor of the 7-storey building, and stopped. Rose tentatively pulled out her key at Wilf's encouragement and put in it in the lock, using it to open the deadbolt and the handle before twisting the door handle and opening the door. The four of them stepped inside and put down their individual boxes.

"Here we are!" Wilf said, sounding slightly out of breath. "Take a look around then, make sure everything looks alright." He followed Rose as she took a quick look around, making sure all the lights were still working and everything still looked in alright shape. At her approval, Wilf smiled widely and shook her hand vigorously, wishing her a good move in and telling her to contact him with any questions. He gave her parents a cheerful goodbye and left, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Well," said Pete, moving away from the door and looking around Rose's new flat. "Looks nice. Clean." He remarked appreciatively.

The flat was a decent size, with a large living area and a small-ish kitchen, which was separated from the living room only with a half wall and started several feet towards the right from the front door. It boasted a stove, fridge, counters, and several cupboards. There was just enough room for the small dining table she'd bought, and its two chairs.

The living area was large, with wood floors and large windows at the back, directly across from the front door, which gave her a decent enough view of the street and buildings around her. There was lots of room for her large blue couch and mahogany coffee table. She'd put the couch against the right wall, she decided, so that she could put her new TV on the left wall rather that in the middle of the room. There was a large closet for her coats and boots near the door on the left.

Still on the left but further down was the door to her new bedroom. It was large enough for her queen-sized bed, her dresser, side tables, work desk and chair, and came with a closet.

The bathroom was on the right wall, past the kitchen. It was large enough for a tub, shower, large sink and counter, and toilet.

She'd be confortable here, she thought. She was still deciding how to arrange all her furniture when a loud buzzer pulled her from her thoughts. She went to the speaker near the door and hesitantly pushed the _talk_ button.

"Hello?" She said tentatively.

"Delivery for Rose Tyler," Said the voice on the other side, muffled as it came through. Rose pressed the other button _open_, to let the deliveryman into the building.

"You should be more careful who you let into the building," Jackie told her. "Make sure it's who they say they are." She'd clearly had her walk around the new flat and was finding it hard to find anything to complain about."

"It's not a bad area, mum. Much better than the Powell estates." Rose told her mother with an eye roll. "'Sides, we knew they were coming."

Before they could get into a disagreement, Pete clapped his hands together. "Alright, then. What do you need help with, Rose?" He looked around for anything he could move.

Rose paused. How long did she want her parents here? She was itching to be on her own – she felt like she hadn't been since she'd arrived in Pete's world. Her mum was always at the mansion and if Rose wasn't there she was at work with loads of people. "Maybe if you could just help me move the furniture P…dad." She was trying to call him _dad_ rather than _Pete_.

He nodded awkwardly. "Sure, sure."

A knock on the door broke through the uncomfortable silence. Rose quickly moved to the door and opened it, revealing two very strong-looking movers carrying a very large desk. They asked Rose if she might leave the door opened for them, so they wouldn't have to knock every time, and Rose obliged. They put the desk down in the living room and Rose and Pete got to work moving it into her bedroom while Jackie pretended to be occupied with something else.

The pattern continued like that – the movers brought the furniture, Rose and Pete placed it, and Jackie occupied herself with unpacking Rose's clothes and hanging it in the closet or placing it the dresser. It took 3 hours for everything to be done – they didn't have to put any of the furniture together, only put it in place. Jackie wasn't finished with the clothes by the time Rose and Pete had placed all the furniture, and she fussed when Pete insisted they leave Rose to finish unpacking on her own.

"You'll be home for Sunday dinners, no fussing or moaning. I'm going to expect you at 4PM sharp every Sunday so that you can spend time with Tony." Jackie continued, standing her ground as Pete tugged her arm.

"Yes, mum," Rose ushered her to Pete.

When Rose was finally alone, she huffed a sigh of relief. She wanted a cuppa, but her mugs were still packed and she just wanted to sit for a bit. She sat on the edge of her new couch, purchased by Pete. Her eyes scanned her new place with trepidation. She tried to keep her breathing even.

All she'd wanted while her parents were there was for them to leave, and now that she was alone, she suddenly felt the weight of the wrong universe on her shoulders.

For the first time since she'd been in Pete's world, she let her thoughts of The Doctor come to the forefront of her mind. How was he doing? Had he found another companion? Was he travelling the stars with someone new? Had he forgotten her?

Something weird started to happen as she thought of The Doctor. The pain was there, yes, but so was something else. She felt a warmth start to spread within her, and a brightness that great before her eyes until it was almost blinding.

Until she was blind to the reality before her. A single thought pulsated though her brain.

_I can see all that is, all that was, all that ever could be_.

She stayed unmoving for hours while time danced before her eyes, with no one to see her glowing gold, the time vortex swirling in her eyes.

_Bad Wolf._

* * *

><p><strong>Hehehe! It's Pete's world Wilf! <strong>

**Review! **


	4. Chapter 4: Torchwood

**Here's chapter 4, dears! **

"Dammit," she muttered, crumpling yet another paper in a ball and tossing it into the trash bin.

One year.

One_ year_ she'd been trapped in the parallel universe.

She was sitting in her office, at her desk, at 2 AM on a Saturday. She propped her elbows on her desktop and placed her face in her palms, rubbing her face, trying to wake herself up. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit." She continued, talking to herself.

She did that a lot these days. After a few seconds of stillness, she took a deep breath and stood up from her comfortable chair – too comfortable for 2 AM. She made her way out of her bright office into the dimly lit hall, to the staff room. She flicked the switch and blinked at the sudden light. She took yet another moment before moving to the coffee machine and starting it up.

She'd made a whole pot of coffee no more than an hour ago, but she supposed that in the small hours of the morning that was acceptable. She stayed on her feet while the machine did its magic, fearing that if she sat in the comfortable couches of the staff room she'd fall asleep.

She tried to think of anything but The Doctor, anything but the TARDIS, anything but his laugh, his smile. Anything but the way he said her name, anything but the feel of her hands in his, their fingers tangled together. She couldn't afford to think about how desperate she was to see him again, that she would do _anything_, give _anything_ to be with him again.

The beep of the coffee machine drew her from her thoughts and she poured herself the largest mug of coffee she could find, not putting anything in it. She just wanted the caffeine at this point. She wished she could just take the whole pot back to her office with her, but then it would go cold, she rationalized. She wouldn't want cold coffee; she'd never liked cold coffee.

She took a sip of her coffee and hummed contently and with a sigh she walked back to her office. She put her mug on her desk and plopped into her seat, grabbing yet another research paper on the possibility of getting between dimensions.

Four months ago – four months and thirteen days ago, actually – the heads of the Technological Development, the Astrophysics Department and of the Interdimensional Physics departments had spoken to her about the creation of a device that would break through the walls locking her (well, they hadn't been speaking about her in particular, but that's how she heard it) into this universe.

A dimension canon, they'd called it.

She'd written her own paper on the topic – being in the Department of Alien Communications and Research meant she'd researched extensively on space travel done my many different kinds of species across this universe. She'd worked with physicist upon astrophysicist to contemplate the possibility of using alien technology of dematerialization to leave the dimension, and there had been many proposals worked out by several members of Torchwood.

The work had to be kept top secret, of course. They couldn't have people knowing what alien technology they had available to them on earth, or that they were working on interdimensional travel.

So when experts in black holes and gravitational space corridors were brought in, they were sworn to secrecy and not permitted to work anywhere outside of Torchwood, where all research was supervised. She knew this firsthand – all her own research had bee supervised and it had taken her two months to get used to being checked for any papers or research on her person every time she left Torchwood.

So now here she was, sitting at her office at 2 AM on a Saturday night…or…morning…or…whatever, researching these ridiculous topics that she'd never heard of before her arrival to the parallel world. She'd never thought she'd amount to anything without her A levels, and while Torchwood had had her do compressed schooling to get them as she moved through the ranks, she still felt she'd managed to accomplish more than she'd even hoped.

At one hell of a price.

* * *

><p>"Rose!"<p>

Rose was jolted awake by the loud voice, nearly shouting her name. She sat up too quickly, confused when her head hit the headrest on her seat. "What?" She slurred. Papers fell from her desk at her sudden movement, to which she paid not attention. She looked up and saw Mickey standing in her office and Pete leaning in the doorway, both staring at her. Mickey was holding two mugs of coffee.

Pete sighed, entered the office fully and closing the door behind him. "Rose," he started quietly, "Rose, what time did you get here?" Rose felt like this was a test.

One she wasn't sure she would pass. "Um…8." She tried.

Mickey and Pete shared a glance. "It's 7:30." Pete told her, a one sided smirk on his face. He gave Mickey a hard look until Mickey took the hint. He gave her a perplexed look and an encouraging smile before leaving her office quietly.

"Rose," Pete said as he pulled a chair up to her desk and sat across from her, resting his forearms on her desk and staring intently at her. "You were here all night." It wasn't a question.

Rose didn't dignify that with an answer. She sipped her coffee and pulled yet another paper to her, set on ignoring the inquiry.

"Rose," Pete said again, obviously frustrated. "Rose if you stay here all night again I will put on you mandatory leave."

"What," Rose sputtered, nearly spitting out her coffee. "Pete, you can't be serious. I am the best researcher on this project." Desperation was seeping through her tone and her eyes as she looked at her father.

"You are." Pete agreed, "But only when you've had a good night's sleep. You're killing yourself, Rose."

Rose starred back at him, frustrated. "Pete." She checked to make sure the door was closed. "Pete, I can't be here anymore. This universe…this world isn't for me. I need to get back to h-…to my universe." She stuttered over the word. She knew Pete knew what she'd been about to say. He knew how she felt about this universe, about being without The Doctor.

Pete's eyes softened. "I know. I'm not going to pretend I know how you feel, but I know how hard a time you're having. And we're trying to help, your mother and I, we really are. We just don't know what to do anymore."

"I know. I'm doing the best I can." Rose told him, begging him to understand. She rubbed her face, much like she'd done at 2AM, but not for the same reason. She needed him to understand her loneliness, her frustration, her heartbreak. She started the stress, to panic. Her hands started to shake.

Pete noticed. He started to stand watching her with wide eyes. "Rose, are you alright?"

"Shit." Rose muttered. "Are the blinds closed?" she asked her father quietly. He glanced at them briefly and nodded, his motions quick and nervous. Rose sighed in relief, still shaking. "I'm really sorry about what's going to happen."

Her gaze lifted upwards and Pete stumbled back when he saw her eyes glowing gold and the rest of her body following suit. Words that came from no one but sounded suspiciously like Rose rang out in the room, quietly and double toned.

_I can see all that was, all that is, all that ever could be_.

* * *

><p>"I don't wanna talk about it." Rose told her father in a hushed tone.<p>

Pete had ambushed Rose at the door as soon as she'd arrived for Sunday dinner. He'd dragged her into his office, out of Jackie's earshot, with a tight smile at his wife and a short explanation of, "it's a work thing. Won't take a minute." To which she'd muttered something about leaving work at the office to spend some quality time with family.

"You were _glowing_." Pete's voice was equally hushed, though much harsher than Rose's. His eyes shone with worry, and Rose felt bad, making him worry like that, but she stood her ground.

"It's no big deal," she insisted.

"No big deal?" Pete repeated. His eyebrows shot up so high they could have been a part of his very short hair. "Rose, there was a voice…"

"It's no big deal." Rose confirmed, watched as her father began to pace around the dim office. "It's happened before, and it passes. It's not like it lasts very long, or hurts me, or hurts anyone around me."

"It's happened before." He was just repeating everything she was saying now, it seemed. "Rose, what would happen if someone saw you? You were gold, your eyes were gold, and a voice that sounded like you but wasn't you came out of nowhere."

Rose sighed. "The first couple times it happened, I had no idea what was going on. I thought exactly what you just said, and I was scared of being taken for experiments. Torchwood might be better here but it's still not perfect. But now I know when to expect it, and I can hide until it passes."

"What is it?" Pete demanded.

Rose's face hardened. "It's Bad Wolf. _I'm_ Bad Wolf. I created myself to save the universe and to save The Doctor."

Pete made his way behind his desk and sat in the leather chair, leaning forward to cross his arms on the large mahogany desk. "Tell me everything."

Just as Rose opened her mouth to speak (she hadn't decided whether to actually explain what she remembered or to tell him once again that it was not big deal), Jackie's voice echoed through the walls.

"This is _not _what I'd consider spending quality time as a family," She called to them. Rose could hear plates being set down much to harshly.

She gave a sigh of relief and annoyance. "We'd better go before she breaks one of the plates." Pete opened his mouth, about to protest, she assumed. She raised her hand and shook her head. "I'll explain another time."

Pete continued to stare at her, deciding whether or not to protest, and then tapped the desk with his palms in defeat. He stood, saying nothing, and he and Rose made their way down to the dining room.

Tony was already sitting in his high chair, a bowl of…something… in front of him, smearing it on his face cheerfully, eating very little. Jackie fussed over him, "Tony, come on then, eat your food." She looked up to her daughter and husband. "It's about time. Grab a plate and serve yourselves." She said, sitting down at her usual place at the table with a plate that already contained her meal.

"Sorry mum," Rose muttered, taking the plate and heading to the kitchen.

Jackie's eyes softened. "Always at work, the pair of you." She said with a small smile.

Dinner was a quiet affair, except for Tony, who was bubbling out incomprehensible sounds and still smearing his food on any and all surfaces within his reach. Jackie questioned them about work, to which Rose and Pete gave monosyllabic answers. When they'd finished eating, the father and daughter pair gathered up the dishes and moved to the kitchen to clean them.

Pete said nothing the whole time, still shooting Rose suspicious glances every once in a while. They washed the dishes in tense silence.

Once they'd finished, Rose patted her hands dry on her pants, to Jackie's displeasure, and announced that she had to head out early to continue some work that she was behind on. Jackie protested and Pete rolled his eyes at her, but they let her take off in her small Toyota.

It took only seven minutes for Rose to arrive at her own building, three minutes to get up the stairs, and twenty seconds for her to get her key in the lock and open her door. She breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the door closed behind her and removed her runners and jacket, putting them both in the closet. She stretched briefly and then moved to the couch, sitting down with a huff. She rested her elbow on the armrest and her chin on her fist and looked out the window.

She didn't really have to work – she _couldn't_ work, considering how she couldn't bring any of her research home with her. But she couldn't spend another second with her mum jabbering on, her father staring at her intently, questioningly.

She sat for hours, simply staring out the window.

**Review please :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Dimension Canon

**Chapter 5, dears! Also, big thanks to MirrorFlower and DarkWind, who has reviewed every chapter!**

"Miss Tyler," a familiar voice called out to her as she walked from the parking lot to the apartment building door, carrying her groceries. She turned to spot to see Wilf waking toward her.

She stopped and smiled at her landlord, "Hi, Wilf." She said cheerfully. "And it's Rose, not Miss Tyler."

"Rose," he responded with a smile. "Let me get the door for you." And he did so, unlocking the door and holding it open for her. He chatted with her as they made their way up the stairs, telling her about how he was finishing up his rounds of checking his buildings for the week. She remarked that it was unusual for a landlord to make rounds on a Saturday evening. "Used to do Saturday dinners with my daughter, but she's been too busy these days."

They'd reached Rose's door, and she noticed a slightly dejected expression from Wilf as she unlocked the door. "Wilf…do you want to come in for dinner?"

The responding smile made Rose's day. "I wouldn't want to bother you." He tried, but Rose shook her head and entered her apartment, leaving the door open and signaling with a bob of her head for him to follow her.

"I'm making lasagna." She said, dropping her groceries on the kitchen counter and turning to face him as he shut the door behind him. "Usually, I would eat my food on my couch and watch some bad TV. I'd much rather have a dinner guest."

"Well!" He clapped his hands together and looked at her with a brilliant smile on his face. "How can I help?"

He became a regular guest for dinner on days when she wasn't busy, and was always equally enthusiastic about it. They became close friends – he told her about how disappointed he'd been when he hadn't had any grandchildren, she told him how she felt she didn't fit anywhere in the world. They shared a love for the stars, and awe for everything in the sky. She even shared her affinity for old police telephone boxes from the fifties, which he recalled from his youth.

He started to take her out on his stargazing excursions – lugging around his telescope while he carried blankets and tea. They took turns looking through the telescope and pointed out anything they found interesting.

"Oh my god," he muttered on one of those days – she withdrew her gaze from the stars and looked to him. He didn't have the smile he usually wore when he found something he admired.

"What did you find?" she asked cheerfully, keeping the smile on her face.

"The stars…Rose, the stars are going out." His voice lifted an octave.

"What?" Rose said in disbelief, "Wilf, are you sure? That's not right, that can't be right."

He pulled her arm and pointed at the telescope. She looked through and withdrew too quickly, staring up at the sky in shock.

The stars were going out.

* * *

><p>"Rose!" The sound of her name made her jump. She looked up from her computer, where she was working on the dimension canon.<p>

They'd created a machine, a real machine, which was doing…something. They'd been trying it by using inanimate objects and sending them to where they hoped was a parallel world.

But they weren't coming back. The machine was supposed to bring whatever they'd sent after two minutes back. And nothing was coming back, and since nothing they were sending was coming back they couldn't check it for void stuff.

"Rose!" The shouting was accompanied by running footsteps. She looked up in shock when Mickey burst into her office, out of breath, reaching a dead stop when he reached her desk. She stared back at him with wide eyes, waiting for some sort of explanation. "It worked. It worked, Rose."

There was only one thing he could be talking about. Rose shot out of her chair, making it topple over, even though it was on wheels. She never lost eye contact with Mickey, who was still trying to catch his breath. "It worked?" She breathed, her heart pounding in her chest; beating so hard she could feel it everywhere in her body. Mickey nodded vehemently.

For a moment, everything stopped. All Rose was aware of was her heart, which seemed to go in slow motion, and her breathing, which had gone from normal to quick, shallow breaths.

And then she was running.

* * *

><p>"<em>Dammit <em>Pete! It should be me!" Rose shouted angrily.

"_Sit. Down." _Pete yelled back.

There were in his office, one day after the dimension canon had worked. The shouting match seemed to shake the walls of the office, and before Pete had forcefully closed the blinds in the windows to the hall, she'd seen employees peering at them with wide or confused eyes. His hands were balled into fists, and his knuckles dug into the wooden top of the desk, on which he was supporting his weight. Rose was standing on the other side of the desk, her face contorted into an angry grimace.

"_I_ have been working on this project since day one_, I deserve_ to be the one to go through." Rose continued, still shouting and definitely not sitting. Her heart pounded in her ears and she glared angrily at her father. She _did_ deserve this. She _needed_ this.

"_You _are a communicator." Pete hissed at her. "Do you think I can afford to lose Torchwood's best alien communicator? Now _SIT. DOWN._"

Rose sat stiffly in the chair facing the desk, her back rigid and her posture still angry. Once she did, Pete heaved a sigh and sat heavily, rubbing his face tiredly. Rose saw this and examined her father's face more closely. He looked more tired than she'd thought, with heavy bags under his eyes and lines forming around the corners of his mouth.

"Rose," he started quietly. "The risk of sending you through to _we don't know where_ is too high. The chances of you not finding your way back, or of getting stuck in the void, or of arriving somewhere dangerous is _just too high_."

It was Rose's turn to sigh. "I am Torchwood's best alien communicator, you just said it yourself. I can manage with so many species. My chances of communicating with life forms are higher than any one else's. My experiences with time and space travel make me the best candidate to test the dimension canon."

Pete examined her face, searching for something. "In all of your research, did you come across the reason we were doing this?"

Rose's eyes widened in surprise. "This is the next step for humans. Now that we know that there are other dimensions."

"And that is the reason you will always see on paper." Pete told her with a nod. Rose's eyes searched his face for answers.

"That's…not the reason?" She didn't know what to say.

And then a thought came to her.

A terrible thought.

A horrible, terrible thought.

"The…the stars are going out." She said quietly, looking up at her father.

He blinked at her in surprise, and took several minutes before he replied. "How did you know?"

Rose sighed. "Mr. Moss - Wilf - he and I are friends and he likes to stargaze, so sometimes I go with him." Rose had become very fond of Wilf, and she knew that fondness was coming through in her tone. "A few weeks ago, we were outside and stargazing and he said the stars were going out. I didn't believe him." She let out a huff of air. "I mean, _stars_ going out. Stars don't go out. But then I looked in that damn telescope." She stood and started to pace around the office. "And Pete, _the stars were going out_." She looked at her father. "So that's why we're building a dimension canon."

Pete sighed. "We need The Doctor."

Rose's face hardened. "So the stars are going out and we're building a device that will launch someone through the dimensions, seeing if it's just here or if it's everywhere. And regardless of that, we need The Doctor."

"Yes."

"And you've spent the last hour trying to tell me that I'm not going." She spat. Her father looked at her in defeat. "I have the _best chance_. The _best. Chance. _Of finding him. I _will find him_." She blinked, and for a moment, her eyes shone gold, and Pete stepped back.

Pete advanced until he was only a foot away from his daughter. He gripped her arms and searched her eyes. "Rose?"

She looked at him, her hazel eyes hard and her posture stiff. They stood like that for several minutes before Rose's eyes welled up with tears. A sob broke through her lips before she clamped them shut. "I need to find him, Pete."

He stared her down for a few minutes before nodding mutely.

* * *

><p>"Rose, we have to stop for the day." Richard Paler told her. Starting the process of shutting off the different parts of the dimension canon, signaling the rest of the team to do the same.<p>

"No, doctor Paler, one more jump!" Rose insisted.

The dimension canon had been working for a full week and Rose had been doing as many jumps as she could handle in a day, which was sometimes three and sometimes up to five. She spent approximately two minutes wherever she landed, reporting back to doctor Paler as to if she'd landed in the right dimension, on the right planet, if it was close their right time. She travelled with a watch that adjusted to wherever she landed, and a translator attached like a cell phone clipped to her belt loops, and a stun gun that she carried in case of emergencies. She could usually sense if she was still in the wrong dimension if she felt the wrongness, the universe trying to throw her out. She'd learn what planet she was on by asking any inhabitants she met.

And everywhere she went, the stars were going out.

"You've made six jumps today, Rose, that's enough. You're exhausted – we have to make sure you're ready for this tomorrow and if you keep going this way you won't be." Paler told her, placing an arm on her shoulder.

Paler was a tall man in his early thirties, with wavy black hair and a wide face with high cheekbones. His deep green eyes were kind as they implored her to let it go, to get some rest. Her hazel eyes met his, unwavering. "Go home." He told her, gripping her shoulder tightly. "Get some rest."

"But I – " Rose tried, but Paler wasn't having it. He shook his head at her and gave her a small shove toward the door.

In a very mature, adult, stuck-in-the-wrong-universe move, she stuck her tongue out at him, which made him chuckle but didn't change his mind. She didn't see how he shook his head at her turned back with a wide grin on his face. She didn't see the rest of the team smile back and him, joining in the silent joke of Rose Tyler, defender of the universe and her refusal to rest.

Rose didn't feel the fatigue until she was out of the basement lab – she'd taken the stairs out of habit and struggled the catch her breath when she reached the top. The stress of the day was getting to her. She felt heavy, as though the void stuff that she knew now clung to her, weighing her down. She sat on the top step and buried her face in her hands. Eventually she let out a sigh and crossed her arms over her knees then rested her forehead on her forearms.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, paying attention only to her breathing. She thought of going home – of driving back to her lonely apartment, of having a lonely microwave dinner on her lonely couch. She was so tired of being alone, of missing The Doctor, of this world, of everything. Exhaustion pressed down on her heart and lungs.

"Rose?" Doctor Paler's voice. She didn't lift her head, but mumbled a quiet acknowledgement. She heard him lightly climb the stairs and sit heavily next to her with a huff, the contrast in the noises almost comical. She turned her head to catch sight of him with her right eye, and he continued to stare straight ahead. She lowered her eyes again.

"I'm tired." His voice came as a shock, bringing her eyes back to him. "I'm so tired, Rose. We're here every day, working on this project, perfecting this project, so that we can send you hurtling through to the right dimension. We're here, staring at screens or reading papers and worrying, hoping to god that you didn't land somewhere dangerous, that the equipment won't malfunction. And it's exhausting."

Rose lifted her head and met his eyes for a moment, and she saw the exhaustion in her eyes, on his face. After a second, she tentatively rested her head on his shoulder, sighing deeply. "I'm so tired." She murmured. He didn't argue, or stiffen, he simply let her be.

He brought his right hand to her head, where it rested on his left shoulder, and gently stroked her hair. He rested her head against hers. "I know."

They stayed sitting together for a while, not saying anything, until Rose broke the silence. "Do you want to come over for dinner?"

He checked his watch and chuckled, "It's 10 PM."

"I know."

"Alright." He stood, grabbing her hands to help her up. They walked together, slowly, to the doors. He offered his hand, and she took it, grateful for the support.

**Yes? No? Review, please :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Jack

**Sorry for the wait, dears! Here's chapter six - there's some coarse language in here, so if you're not comfortable with that...sorry?**

They'd made so many advances on the dimension canon. One month in, they'd learned how to identify where Rose had landed without her having to tell them. Five months in, she'd landed briefly in the right universe for her allotted two minutes, though on the wrong planet, which had resulted in a very long night of celebrating for all members of Torchwood.

Which was why today, she was sitting in her office rather than working down in the lab, with her blinds closed, drinking her third cup of coffee since the hour that she had been at work to help swallow the ibuprofen.

So when Paler walked into her office and switched the light on, decidedly confused and significantly less hung over than her, she groaned and hit her eyes in her hands. He shot her a bemused look and turned the light back off and moved to her desk. She uncovered her eyes and raised her eyebrows at him. His shot up in response and he chuckled, walking back out of her office for only a moment before coming back with a large glass of water. He put in down in front of her and pulled back her cup of coffee.

"You want hydration over caffeine." He told her softly.

Rose groaned again. "I think I want caffeine over hydration." She muttered, but she drank from the glass anyway, wincing slightly when the cold water hit her throat. When she finished, she looked up at Paler. "What've you got for me?"

"Pardon?"

"You're in my office." Rose said blankly.

"I can't just say hi?" He said with a small smile on his face, reaching forward to brush a lock of hair out of her face. She recoiled slightly, not expecting his hand in her face.

"You can." She admitted, "but you don't."

"Rose –" he started.

"Richard." She responded in the same tone. His first name felt funny on her lips.

He sighed and sat lightly in the chair facing her desk. "Fine. It _is_ good news though. We've found a way for you to have more time in the other universes." At this, Rose sat up in her chair, still hugging her cup of coffee. "Not indefinite time, and we will still be able to pull you back if we feel it's necessary, but yeah. We're working on an addition to your watch, a way for you to signal to us when you're fine, and when you're ready to come back."

Rose's mouth had popped open. She clamped it closed and stood up, pushing her chair back. "What are we waiting for, then? Let's go." She spoke too loud, making her wince and rub her forehead. He tried to hide his smirk and was unsuccessful.

He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her gently back into her chair. "Maybe you should just sit for a while."

Rose sighed but stood back up. "If I can sit here I can run through dimensions. Actually, I'd rather run through dimensions. It'll help pass the headache." With determination, she made her way to the door. Paler chuckled and followed her out.

* * *

><p>"What the <em>hell?<em>" Rose muttered. She'd travelled through dimensions and landed in some sort of…hub…office…thing. She looked around in confusion.

"_WHAT THE HELL_." She heard from behind her. She whipped around and saw a young man with red-ish hair and a stern face. She gave an unsure smile and wave of her fingers.

The man ran to a button on the wall and slammed his hand on it. Huge metal doors slammed shut, locking them into the room. Red lights flashed and a robotic voice spoke.

"BREACH, BREACH."

An image popped up on the wall and a familiar face spoke. "Owen, what the hell is going on?" Rose felt excitement bubble in her chest.

"This girl just appeared out of nowhere!" The one called Owen shouted.

Jack's face searched through what she assumed was the camera on his phone to find the intruder. She made it easier for him, stepping into the image. _"Jack?" _She said excitedly.

Jack's face lit up when he saw her. "ROSE!" His eyes found Owen again. "Shut down the alarm, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Rose was sitting awkwardly in an uncomfortable chair, being stared at by Owen. It was twenty minutes before the door opened and Jack ran. She'd signaled to her coworkers in the other universe that she was alright using her time-zone watch.

Rose jumped up from her seat and ran to her old friend, feeling relief and joy when he caught her in his arms, hugging her tight and spinning her around. He laughed loudly and kissed her cheek. "You're _alive!_ I thought you were dead!" He put her down, keeping his arms around her waist.

"Not dead. Lost in the wrong universe."

"Lost?" His eyebrows shot up. He removed his arms from her waist but grabbed her hand. "Do tell."

They moved to Jack's office, still hand in hand. "Do you remember the invasion of the Cybermen?" Rose asked him, feeling Owen's eyes on her back.

Jack chuckled, though not with humor. "Something like that is hard to forget."

Rose acknowledged that with a _tsk_. "The Doctor and I were in Torchwood." She looked around, "not this Torchwood. We used these levers to open a doorway into the void - the space between universes – and it sucked up anything with void stuff on them. Anyone who had travelled between universes had void stuff on them, including me and The Doctor and all the Cybermen and Daleks." Jack was hanging on her words, sitting behind his desk with her sitting across from him, their hands still clasped together. "We had to pull up these levers and then hang onto clamps that were on the walls. It's…hard to explain." She closed her eyes. "But my lever didn't lock into place. It started to close the window, or door, and the Cybermen and Daleks weren't being sucked in anymore. So I let go of my clamp." Jack's hands tightened around hers. "I pulled the lever back up and it locked into place. But I couldn't –" Rose's breath caught in her chest. Jack stood and came to her side, kneeling next to her. He ran his hand over her hair. "I couldn't hang on. I fell and I was getting tugged into the void. And then my dad – my dad from the other universe – appeared out of nowhere, using this dimension hopper-thing. And he brought me to his universe, but then the walls between the worlds closed and I was stuck. I was stranded over there."

"Oh, Rose." Jack stood and pulled Rose into a hug that was awkward only because he was standing and she was sitting. "How long has it been since you saw him?"

Rose took a breath. "Two years."

Jack let out a huff of air and hugged her tighter.

After a couple minutes of just hugging each other, Jack pulled away suddenly. "I have news for you, too." Rose stared up at him with wide eyes. "Rose, I'm a fixed point in time. I can't die."

Rose didn't break eye contact for several moments. "The…the game station. Bad Wolf." It was a question, one she almost didn't want the answer to. "I did this to you." She began to shake.

"Rose!" Jack pulled her back in for another hug. "It's okay. It's fine, Rose. You're always forgiven."

Suddenly the tingling started. She knew exactly what it meant – her time in this universe was ending. "Jack, listen. I'll find you again. I swear. I'll find The Doctor and I'll find you." She was disappearing, and Jack watched with wide, horrified eyes as Rose dissolved before his eyes.

And then she was gone. Jack closed his eyes and bit back tears, forcing himself not to cry. She'd find him again. She promised.

* * *

><p>"No." Rose moaned. "Why did you bring me back?" She'd been with Jack, her friend who hadn't died at the game station, who was alive and well in her universe, who worked for Torchwood, just like her.<p>

"We couldn't see you. We had no idea where you were. If we couldn't see you, we couldn't tell if maybe you'd lost signal on your watch or communicator." Robert put her hands on her shoulders and searched her face, finding only frustration. He pulled her in for a tight hug. It was a moment before Rose responded in kind, hugging him back nowhere near as tightly as he hugged her.

Rose gave a frustrated sigh and pushed away from him, giving him a slight nod. She said nothing to anyone else and started to make her way out of the lab. "Miss Tyler, you can make one more jump today," a young woman called after her.

Rose stopped for a moment, considering, but then shook her head and continued to walk, head down.

Paler found her sitting on the top step again.

* * *

><p>"Wose!" The sound of small feet running across hardwood floors was the first thing that caught Rose's attention when she walked through the door to her parents' house. Her little brother crashed into her legs and Rose braced herself against the wall so she wouldn't fall over.<p>

"Tony!" Rose replied with a laugh, picking him up in her arms. He was two years old and getting almost too heavy for her to carry. She made her way to the kitchen, where Jackie was making a salad.

"Hey, mum." Rose said, dropping the carrots she'd brought with her onto the counter next to the sink and kissing her mother's cheek.

"Hello, sweetheart," Jackie said with a smile towards her daughter. She chuckled at the sight of Rose carrying Tony around and the bright smile on his face. "He misses you all week, you know." She said, pointing her elbow at her son.

"I miss him, too." Rose pinched her brother's nose, making him giggle happily.

Jackie brought the salad bowl to the dinner table and placed it in the center. "Chicken's in the oven. It'll be done in a jiff." Jackie told Rose before turning her attention to Tony. "Why don't you show Rose your new fire truck, Tony?"

Rose gasped and looked at her little brother with wide eyes. "You have a new fire truck and you didn't tell me?"

He gave her a wide smile and he pointed towards his room. Rose carried him off, leaving Jackie to finish the dinner.

"So, your dad tells me you found someone you knew this week." Jackie started over dinner. Rose's jaw clenched and she lowered her gaze to her food. "That must have been exciting, right Sweetheart?" Jackie tried again. Rose lifted bitter eyes to her mother and gave a curt nod. "Well, maybe you're getting closer."

"Just hope we get this done before all the stars go out." She muttered, pushing her chair away from the table and standing. She grabbed her plate and carried it to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"<em>Fuckin' Christ,"<em> Rose gasped as she dodged a sort of grenade that seemed to contain a weird sort of smoke It missed her by mere inches, and she stumbled to the ground. Ahead of her, the fog hit another alien and in seconds, he had disintegrated into dust.

Her watch had been lost upon arrival when she'd been taken into some sort of prisoner of war camp on the alien planet on another dimension. The planet, called Baclodaina, was being invaded by the Eknodine, a race looking for a new home after the destruction of their own in the Time War. The aliens being invaded, who already didn't like her simply because she was human, were called Silurians, and they looked upon her with distain. They were struggling in the war, being as they couldn't get close enough to the invaders to do much damage.

They'd provided her with armor – it was thin but apparently near indestructible, and felt like a diving suit. However, the gas (or whatever it was) seemed to seep through any opening, and the moment it touch skin it could kill anyone.

She'd been fighting for only a few hours – she hoped desperately that the Torchwood team would get off their asses and get her out of there, but until then she had no choice but to join the Silurians in the fight, using their strange guns and armor to fight their enemies.

She was very glad for her Torchwood training – to many people, landing in this situation would have been a death sentence. She had been able to talk with the war leader of the Silurians and explain her situation, and when he'd insisted she join the army and be useful, she bowed her head in consent and followed one of the strange reptilians to their storage.

So now she was on the front line, shooting the gun with deadly accuracy and desperately avoiding the gas.

It was probably the only time in her life she'd wished for the Bad Wolf.

**Review :) **


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